IMSA 2025

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virtualbalboa

driver of corey day bandwagon since 2022
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I can understand GTP teams not wanting to go to Canada, I can’t really understand abandoning Lime Rock entirely, especially since the reason given for not showing up in 2024 was scheduling conflicts. They’re the first series to reveal their 2025 calendars, and it’s not an Olympic year, so I can’t imagine there would be any such instance again.
 
Kiante said:
It's to ensure there are less conflicts with IndyCar and WEC this year.
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I mean, it seems to me like the way to avoid that is to pick up a phone and call Roger Penske or Richard Mille.
 
They haven’t issued calendars for the support series beyond Pilot Challenge yet. Lime Rock at least deserves a weekend with MX-5 Cup/Carrera Cup/Super Trofeo.
 
virtualbalboa said:
I mean, it seems to me like the way to avoid that is to pick up a phone and call Roger Penske or Richard Mille.
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Why not? ALMS and grand American worked very hard to avoid scheduling conflicts.

I think instead of worrying about schedule conflicts that IMSA and Indycar need to run more double headers. The two series have generally the same fanbase and are made for each other.
 
Doc Austin said:
Why not? ALMS and grand American worked very hard to avoid scheduling conflicts.

I think instead of worrying about schedule conflicts that IMSA and Indycar need to run more double headers. The two series have generally the same fanbase and are made for each other.
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Basically, I think the claim that they did this early to "avoid conflicts" is BS. Kiante is probably right: this is a form of power play. Maybe WEC didn't answer their phone last time, IDK. They're claiming these dates in such a way that if WEC or Indycar conflict, it's on them.

NASCAR doesn't care about helping Indycar by pairing it with IMSA. Indycar is the same fans, which means it is, to them, competition.
 
Rumor mill seems to have gone into overdrive with the announcement of the Ganassi/Cadillac split last week. Even though Ford had stated last year, when they announced the 2026 F1 plans in partnership with Red Bull, that it would eliminate any prospects of a prototype program, Autoweek has suggested they may still be interested and would be a good fit for CGR once again.

Additionally, a lot of prospective entrants from other series were in the Sebring paddock - most notably, RFK Racing, from which Brad K has said earlier this year he’s been very interested in getting the team back into IMSA.

Among the record 245 transporters that fill the long run from Turn 16 to Turn 17 for teams and key support partners, and the 190 cars that comprise the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin, Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series, Michelin Pilot Challenge and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, an interesting array of team owners — those who are not currently involved with IMSA — from the NTT IndyCar Series, Indy NXT, NASCAR Cup Series, FIA WEC, and SRO Americas could all be spotted.


Representatives from the Roush Fenway Keselowski Cup team were among those seen or spoken to in the paddock across Wednesday and Thursday, and although he wouldn’t be drawn on the list of visitors, IMSA President John Doonan did confirm the series’ executive leadership has been busy meeting with those who’ve come to Sebring to explore joining IMSA in 2025.
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racer.com

IMSA attracting growing interest from prospective new entrants

A walk through the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring paddock revealed a number of remarkable sights during IMSA’s biggest weekend of the year. The change in the event’s format, which no longer includ…
racer.com racer.com
 
FLRacingFan said:
Rumor mill seems to have gone into overdrive with the announcement of the Ganassi/Cadillac split last week.
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That kind of came out of nowhere, but that yellow sled is cursed. I'm not the superstitious type, but so many weird things have knocked tat car out. Either way, they were not getting results, and now they have gotten beaten in straight up fight.

The unanswered question is who will take over Chip's program? Most think Action Express will expand to two cars, and since they are getting the results, that wouldn't be the worst choice. There's also something to be said about consolidating under one roof.
FLRacingFan said:
Even though Ford had stated last year, when they announced the 2026 F1 plans in partnership with Red Bull, that it would eliminate any prospects of a prototype program,
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We're not sure where that Ford deal is going to go. It's starting to look like they want out. If the whole Red Bull thing breaks up, they will have to race somewhere else and WEC is pretty damm hot right now. Considering Ford's endurance pedigree, that would be a great story.

Chip to Ford could be awesome. It would be great for an American team to run a Ford and hand Ferrari their ass again.
FLRacingFan said:
Autoweek has suggested they may still be interested and would be a good fit for CGR once again.
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Ford can play themselves back in on the cheap. You only have to build one car, and all Ford would have to do is come up with a suitable engine. Ligier is only servicing Lambo, so a chassis would not be that hard to come by. My guess is all of these chassis makers would like to sell more cars.

I'm sure we'll have two Caddys and I hope Bourdais is in one of those. Zandervant is too good of a talent to waste too. We know Scott will be in whatever Chip will be running. I just hope Chip can put something together for next year and keep everyone employed.
 
Quite a nice surprise today as Paul Miller double up for the first time in team history. Bryan Sellers is retiring from driving duties to go be a team manager in GTWC America, so it’ll be a very different look overall for PMR in 2025.

 
‘Rexy’ and ‘Spike’ return next year as well, although there’ve been rumors that the GTD Pro entry could switch from Porsche to Ford. The 64/65 factory cars have already been confirmed, so there could potentially be three Pro Mustangs on the grid next year. Not sure where that would leave Porsche - maybe they can entice Pfaff back, who’ve underwhelmed this year with McLaren.

 
48 full-season entries and 56 MEC entries confirmed for 2025. Sounds as though there’s one more full-season entry in development as well. Rolex 24 entry will be published in early December and should be north of 60 cars again.

Full / Endurance breakdown is

GTP - 11 / 13
LMP2 - 12 / 12
GTD Pro - 9 / 10
GTD - 16 / 21

Proton Porsche and Lambo Iron Lynx are Enduro-only in GTP. The new Aston Martin Valkyrie was confirmed for the full season.

Pratt Miller have a new LMP2 program on top of their Corvette Racing program.

 
They got 87 or 88 entry applications submitted for the Rolex…I think it’s getting to the point where it might behoove them to build a temporary or IMSA-only pit somewhere, but I’m not quite sure how you’d do that.

 
FLRacingFan said:
They got 87 or 88 entry applications submitted for the Rolex…I think it’s getting to the point where it might behoove them to build a temporary or IMSA-only pit somewhere, but I’m not quite sure how you’d do that.
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I think that many could race safely on the track but like you said, where do they all pit?
 
Heavy hitters for Acura MSR in the enduros. Would not be surprised to see Kakunoshin Ohta, running for the team in this weekend’s three-day Daytona test, end up as the fourth and final driver in the 93 as well.

 
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It looks so small in person, I think this car is going to be a problem when figured out.
 
Ford getting quite a bit younger next year:

64
Rocky
Seb Priaulx
Ben Barker (MEC)

65
Chris Mies
Fred Vervisch
Dennis Olsen (MEC)

I like it tbh. They were pretty old overall this past year, but I think Joey Hand and Dirk Müller will still be involved in the new DTM/NLS programs with HRT somehow.

 




Pfaff were teasing a bull on social media yesterday. Seems they may be taking over a Lamborghini program of some form after a disappointing season with McLaren, plus the Lamborghini/Iron Lynx divorce.
 
DragonSpeed initially were accepted for a GTD class program for 2025 but will be moving up to GTD Pro for the year. Will be the first full-season Pro class Ferrari in a long while.

While the Valkyrie won’t debut in GTP until Sebring, THOR will field a one-off GTD Pro entry (007) in place of it at Daytona, in addition to their full-time GTD entry.



 
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